An Eventful 24 Days of Christmas
by Lucy Kent
Summary: A series of Drabbles for the Countdown to Christmas Competition. Each Drabble is it's own, but they are all part of one story.
1. December 1st

**December 1st**

**Prompt: Advent Calender**

**Word Count: 214**

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><p>The Potters stood around the Christmas tree. Ginny was leaning into Harry's side, and his hand was resting on her pregnant belly. They both watched as James and Albus scoured the tree the December First decoration. The tree was covered with decorations of all sorts, but scattered around the tree was an advent calendar. An ornament for each day designed to look like present with a number on its sides. Last year the two boys had loved it so much, that Harry couldn't resist buying a new set for this year.<p>

Albus gave a shout and both boys came to their parents, though their eyes were on the the present ornament that was resting in Albus' hand. "Go ahead." Harry urged. Albus pulled the top off, reached his hand inside and pulled out a handful of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans. Both boys cried out happily. They quickly sat on the floor and poured the beans out. They split the pile in half, as Harry directed, but soon were trading and exchanging beans until they had a pile both were content with. Harry laughed when James put a bean into his mouth but quickly spit it back out. "Ewww! Bussel Sprouts." Ginny was soon laughing with him, and Albus began to laugh as well.


	2. December 2nd

**December 2nd**

**Prompt: Eggnog Latte**

**Word count: 326**

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><p>Harry checked the list again. Chocolate, check. Pickles, check. Spicy tuna sushi, check. He had almost everything he needed, he was just missing... an eggnog latte. He found a dark alley to apparate in. Than with a 'pop' he disappeared. Harry looked up and down Diagon Alley. He located the new coffee store that had opened up a few weeks earlier. Nodding at those he knew, he entered the shop and found it pleasantly full, but not busy. He walked over to the counter and looked over their menu. No eggnog latte. He groaned, Ginny would kill him if he didn't bring home a latte.<p>

"Harry?" Harry looked down to see Seamus and Dean standing next to each other behind the counter in front of him.

Harry grinned. "Sorry guys, I gotta go. Looking for an eggnog latte, my wife demands one." They chuckled and glanced at one another before Seamus spoke up. "We can make you one."

"You can?" Harry glanced at the menu again to check if he had just missed it on the menu.

"Sure. This is our coffee store after all. We even happen to have all the ingredients. We just don't have it on the menu because we tend to drink the eggnog too much ourselves." Dean explained.

"This is your store?"

"Sure is!" Seamus beamed.

"If you guys make this for me, you will save my life." Seamus laughed as Dean started to make the drink. The three of them talked about their most recent news in the four minutes that it took Dean to finish. Harry realized that he hadn't been in touch with them as much as he wished to be. As Dean handed Harry the drink, Harry invited them over for the Christmas Party they were having a few days before the actual event. They both accepted quickly, Harry paid, and left the coffee shop trying to figure out who else he needed to catch up with.


	3. December 3rd

**December 3rd **

**Prompt: Sugar Plum Fairies**

**Word Count: 207**

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><p>It was during one of Ginny's daily naps that Molly Weasley snuck into their house took the kids. She gave Harry a conspiratorial wink before taking her grandchildren through the floo. Harry than checked the time. Just enough. He quickly began to produce a large illusion in their bedroom around Ginny's sleeping form. He watched as Ginny's eyes slowly open and watched she took in the dancing fairies around her. Pure joy filled her face, and it warmed his heart. "Harry?" She whispered as she sat up. Harry came over to her and sat down. She quickly turned and leaned her back against his chest, her eyes never leaving the illusion in front of her. "Why are there fairies dancing around the room?"<p>

"Well, specifically they are sugar plum fairies..." Harry trailed off and grinned as Ginny froze. The next moment she had turned faster than a pregnant woman had any right to do.

"Sugar plum fairies?"

Harry kissed her forehead, than checked the time. "Oh you better get ready."

"Ready?" She whispered, clutching the sleeve of his robes.

"Well yes, we have tickets to go see the Russian Ballet Company's production of The Nutcracker." Harry pulled Ginny into a hug even as she began to cry.


	4. December 4th

**December 4th**

**Prompt: Mistletoe**

**Word Count 298**

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><p>Harry herded his two rambunctious sons through the door, reminding them to behave. Once inside, Harry was quickly surrounded by brown hair. Laughing, he hugged Hermione back. As he pulled away he kissed her on the cheek. He turned to find Ron hugging Ginny and after they split apart he patted him on the back.<p>

"Harry!"

Harry turned to find Luna Lovegood skipping over, she practically flew into his arms. Everyone laughed. When they tried to pull away the found they couldn't. Worried they looked around until they heard Ginny groan. Harry turned to her and all she did was point to the ceiling. Never Miss Mistletoe. You could tell by the berries which looked like a little ornament. With a sigh, Harry pecked Luna on the lips and they were able to separate.

"Let me get that." Ron said. No one really thought about it. He was an excellent wizard, but they hadn't thought of the trap set. The moment Ron's spell hit the plant, the the spell was unimportant, it began to multiply. Soon it covered the whole ceiling. Hermione chuckled, Ginny giggle, and soon all the adults were laughing their asses off. "Mommy!" Harry and Ginny looked to find Albus trapped under one of the plants with his brother.

0oOo0

By dinnertime, everyone had kissed everyone else. About 10 times or so. Approximately 1 hour after they had first found the mistletoe, it all disappeared. Everyone sighed in relief. But than Luna started to laugh, and soon the whole table was snorting their food out, choking on their milk, or falling out of their chair. Hermione managed to say between chuckles, "Laughing Potion! I'll kill George for touching my food!" But than they were all laughing again, and all around it was a pleasant night.


	5. December 5th

**December 5th**

**Prompt: ice Skating**

**Word Count: 301**

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><p>Harry was holding Albus' hand as his son tried to balance himself on the tips of the skates. Harry had offered to cast a spell to make it easier, but Albus had insisted he could do it just fine. Harry took a quick moment to glance at James and saw him skating slowly on the other side of the lake. Just behind where he was, Ginny was sitting on a bench. She was bundled as much as she could be, even had a heating charm on her, and she had insisted to be out here with them, even if she couldn't take part.<p>

"Dad... I think... I think I got it." Harry turned his eyes back to Albus and nodded his head. Slowly he let go of the gloved grip of his son and Albus slowly moved forward on his own. He was a bit wobbly, but otherwise was staying upright on his own. "Mom!" Albus called out waving his arms to get the attention of Ginny, who was already looking with pride. But waving his arms caused Albus to start to wobble dangerously. Before Harry could get to him, James appeared and grabbed Albus' hand. James picked up his pace and pulled his brother behind him. Harry would have stopped it, if he hadn't seen the grin on Albus' face. Instead he shook his head slightly before gliding over to his wife.

He walked off the lake and sat on the bench next to his wife. "I'm sorry Miss..." Harry began, his face in mock seriousness, "But I saw you on the other side of the pond and thought you looked lovely." Ginny laughed and whacked at him. She then leaned her head against his chest and Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulders. This had been a great idea.


	6. December 6th

**December 6th**

**Prompt: Jumper**

**Word Count: 0**

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><p><em>This Chapter will soon up uploaded<em>


	7. December 7th

**December 7th**

**Prompt: Family Gathering**

**Word Count: 226**

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><p>The lawn outside of the burrow was deceptively quiet. But the moment the Potter family walked through the door they heard chaos. Controlled chaos to a degree, thanks to Molly Weasley and a wooden spoon, but chaos all the same. It was always like this for every Sunday dinner at the Weasley's. Albus and James waited for Harry's nod before they ran off to find their cousins and their favorite Uncle George. Harry and Ginny only made it a few steps before Molly came rushing forward and gave them hugs, although the hug she gave Ginny was far more careful than the death grip Harry received.<p>

"So glad you could make it!"

Harry grinned as he kissed Molly's cheek. "Except for emergencies, do we ever not come?"

Molly eyed Ginny's belly, "Well I couldn't be sure..."

"Mom! The baby isn't due for a few more weeks yet! Besides we would have let you know the moment we thought it was coming."

Molly seemed appeased and led them both to the kitchen. "Well Ginny dear, I wasn't sure what you were feeling up to eating so I..."

"Made everything." Harry finished for her with a laugh as he saw the kitchen table.

"Well... ah... yes." Molly blushed slightly before whacking Harry with her spoon. Harry only laughed, kissed Ginny on the cheek, and went to find Ron.


	8. December 8th

**December 8th**

**Prompt: Mulled Wine scented Yankee Candle**

**Word Count: 381**

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><p>"Make the smell go away!" Ginny growled. Harry was at a loss. It was about 2am, on a Monday morning no less. But Ginny had woken up and complained that she smelled something rotten. She was in the living room chair wrapped with her favorite blanket and a fire in the fireplace. Harry had already cleaned the air of the room, changed the bed sheets, dusted as though it was spring cleaning, and had even tried spraying a bit of her favorite perfume in the air around her.<p>

exhausted Harry pointed is wand in the air and said "Accio... new scent!" He wasn't sure if it was going to work. But moment's later a candle hit his hand. Harry looked it over and hoped this was the answer. He had work in about 5 hours and 2 or 3 more hours of sleep would be welcome. "How's this Ginny? It's the candle we got about 2 years back from Luna."

Ginny sleepily read the label aloud. "Mulled Wine. Did we have a Yankee candle Harry?"

"Yes. Luna gave it to us, remember?"

Ginny only mumbled slightly. Harry closed his eyes for a moment and hoped this would rid the house of whatever smell was keeping Ginny up. He put it on the table and lit the candle. And waited. And waited. He could smell the scent flowing around them, but Ginny hadn't given any sign that it was better. He took a glance at her and found her sound asleep in the chair.

Harry gave a frustrated sigh, but a smile was on his face. He gathered Ginny up in his arms and brought her back to the bedroom. He quickly tucked her in, and watched as she curled into a fetal position. Second's later her hand was reaching out for where he should be. Harry quickly summoned the candle and put it on his nightstand. He cast a quick protection spell over the flame so that the house would not burn down in their sleep and crawled into bed next to Ginny. The moment she found him Ginny curled up against his back and fell into a peaceful sleep. Harry was a bit too awake to sleep immediately, but the smell of Mulled Wine soon lulled him asleep as well.


	9. December 9th

**December 9th**

**Prompt: The Nativity**

**Word Count: 593**

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><p>There was a timid knock on the door, and Harry opened it to find a person he never would have suspected. Both of them froze for a moment, before Harry allowed Dudley into his home. It was clearly Dudley even though his body looked nothing like the chubby kid Harry grew up with. Harry led them to the living room, and both sipped at their respective drinks in an awkward silence. Harry's eyes, however, were drawn to a box that Dudley had brought with him. It was hidden inside a gift bag, so he couldn't see what it was. As Harry was watching it, he noticed that it was giving off magic. That shocked him almost as much as finding Dudley on his doorstep. In fact, he wasn't quite sure how Dudley knew where he lived.<p>

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Dudley beat him to it. "Mum died." The room seemed to freeze over. There had never been any love lost between Harry and Aunt Petunia, but she had still been his last living connection to his mother. Dudley downed the rest of his drink before setting the glass down. He then closed his eyes and put his face in his hands. "I wasn't sure if you would want to be invited to the funeral or not. I ended up not knowing where to send it. I looked for your address, and by the time I found it, the funeral had already passed." Dudley sighed again and looked up, catching Harry's eyes. "I was going through her stuff, and I found an unopened gift. It was to mum from your mum." Harry froze for seconds before his eyes turned to the box. Dudley nodded, Harry could see it from the corner of his eye. "Yeah, that's it. I thought... god I don't know." Dudley suddenly stood and walked over to Harry. Harry stood as well. "Look Harry, when we last saw each other we were leaving you alone. I didn't understand it, didn't agree with it. I wish..."

Harry knew what the man was talking about. Over the years, he had been able to forgive Petunia and Dudley. Harry thought about his wife upstairs taking one of her midday naps. He thought of his children spending the day with Andromedea. And he looked at Dudley. His cousin wore a wedding band that looked worn. He had laugh lines around his eyes. His eyes, although currently filled with grief, held no malice. And so Harry did something he didn't expect. He held out his hand. Dudley stared at it as though it were a spider. "Hello. My name is Harry Potter."

Dudley seemed to sag on himself for a moment. He then stood straight and shook Harry's hand. "Dudley Dursley." The two smiled at each other tentatively before Dudley released Harry's hand and walked over to the bag with a box. He took it and handed it to Harry. "I don't know what it is, I didn't open it. But I thought you might want it."

"Thank you." Dudley nodded in acceptance, and the two talked casually for a few minutes before Dudley said he had to go.

"My wife is waiting for me to return home."

Harry walked Dudley to the door, and as they were saying good-bye Harry found himself inviting Dudley to the Christmas Party. Dudley didn't answer either way, just said he would think about it.

When Ginny came downstairs after her nap, she found Harry setting up a little Nativity display, a discarded box laying beside him.


	10. December 10th

**December 10th**

**Prompt: Silent Night (used back story not actual song)**

**Word Count: 476**

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><p>The first thing Harry heard when he walked into the shop was a loud bang from the back followed by some impressive swearing. Grinning, Harry went behind the counter and found George leaning over something muttering loudly to himself. The moment George turned away from the project though, Harry cast the giggling hex on him. Seemed only fair considering the man did the same to him at every opportunity. George whipped around, and Harry could see the near panic on the man's eyes despite the laughter bubbling out of his lips. Harry cancelled the spell. "George? What's going on?"<p>

George threw his hands in the air before gesturing at the small box on the table. "It's this bloody thing! I was trying to get it ready for testing on Ron and on the shelf before Christmas, but it just isn't working! The goddamn music won't play!"

Harry laughed and came closer. He may have no hand in working pranks, but he had handled a variety of objects as an Auror. He peeked into the box, and saw no indication of anything then a music box. "What's it supposed to do?"

George grinned and pushed Harry away. "Watch!" George closed the lid, flipped it on its side, and tapped the top with his wand. Seconds later a myriad of miniature Christmas came out dancing and singing the words to a song that wasn't playing. George merely groaned. "The music is supposed to be so loud you can hardly hear the characters. But no. No music." George slumped into a chair as all the characters began to crawl back into the box.

"Where's the prank part?"

"I'm going to add that last, it will make whoever is listening suddenly find themselves in scandalous Christmas clothing. But I can't keep walking about the shop in a leotard and green vest. No respective folk will come around here with that." Harry held in his laugh.

"Why do you need the music though? The characters sound just fine."

George looked up at him from where his head had rested on his hands. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. And honestly, if there is no music, it is deceptively innocent. If no one looks up the second after starting the song, which they probably won't, they wouldn't realize until later."

George visibly brightened at that. "True!"

"I say it's good the way it is."

"You are in the investor!"

"That I am. But if you don't want me warning Ron, you will give me an unpranked version. Ginny would love it."

"Will do! Thanks Harry."

Harry wrapped an arm around the man's shoulder and led them out of the main shop. "You are welcome. Now help me find something to get Ron with. He turned my hair purple last week right before an important meeting. I need to get him back."

"One revenge coming right up!"


	11. December 11th

**December 11th**

**Prompt: Snowman**

**Word Count: 554**

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><p>All eyes were on the ball of snow as it rolled down the hill. By the time it hit the bottom is was about 3 feet tall. Albus and James laughed in delight while Harry levitated the snowball to where they were. Albus got his little snowball ready and pushed it down the hill. This one didn't seem to grab as much snow because when it stood next to the other ball, it was only 2 feet tall. Albus didn't mind though. Four more balls were made until two nearly identical snowmen sat on the top of the hill. Albus' wasn't as equally proportioned like James' was, but Harry watched as James tried to swap. In true fashion, Albus refused.<p>

Harry turned to make sure Ginny was warm before walking over to the boys. He took the pack off of his shoulder before pouring the various objects and food the boys had gathered earlier. "You can't look!" James reminded him. Harry grinned before fluffing the boy's hair and walking back to Ginny.

For half an hour the two of them talked about non-consequential things, both keeping an ear open for the boys. About ten minutes in they heard Albus whine to his brother. "You said I could make dad!" Both boys were too quiet for them to hear after that but Ginny grinned at Harry and he grinned back. Harry watched Ginny's face as light snowflakes danced around them. Her cheeks were red and her nose fairly glowed. Suddenly, Harry found himself leaning forward and kissing Ginny. She giggled when he pulled back. "I love you Gin."

She smiled at him before she took his hand. She pressed it against her cheek. "I love you too Harry."

"DAD!" They both turned to find Albus and James running toward them. Albus grabbed at Ginny and James pulled Harry. The two boys led their parents to where two snowmen stood side by side. They both had the carrot nose but from there they were different. James' had chocolate eyes, a red ribbon for a mouth. On top of its head was a mop that James had insisted Harry turn red. Now he knew why. Around its neck was a familiar Molly Weasley scarf that had a lovely "G" in cursive on the front.

Albus' had two different green buttons for eyes, and a pea pod mouth. On its head was a winter hat that had snitches flying around the seam. Around its neck was another Molly Weasley. This scarf matched the one of James' scarf on everything except for the "H" embroidered into it.

Harry leaned down and scooped both boys up and onto his shoulders. They began to wiggle and scream happily and he hugged them both around their waists. When he set them down James gave him another hug while Albus walked over to Ginny and took her hand. "Now shrink them!" James demanded. Harry just watched his son, and eyebrow raised. "Please."

Harry shrunk the snowmen. Picking them up carefully he placed each of them inside a glass ornament and cast a stasis charm on them so they wouldn't melt. The three of them walked back into their home where the two boys carefully hang the ornament on the tree, next to the other glass ornaments each with their own little snowman inside.


End file.
